At this point, Balzer requested Scott's DICOM files so he could work with them at home. It was a crucial step. A few months later, Scott had another MRI, and the radiologist came back with a horrifying report: The tumor had grown substantially, which indicated a far more grave condition than was initially diagnosed. But back at home, Balzer used Photoshop to layer the new DICOM files on top of the old images, and realized that the tumor hadn't grown at all -- the radiologist had just measured from a different point on the image. Once his relief subsided, Balzer was furious and more determined than ever to stay in control of Scott's treatment. "I thought, 'why don't we take it to the next level?'" Balzer says. "Let's see what kind of tools are available so that I can take the DICOMs, which are 2D slices, and convert them into a 3D model."

This is presented as woo-woo cheerleading about how awesome 3d printing is, but really it's an article about how incompetent the healthcare industry is.